Friday, October 23, 2009

Amazon Payments extended to non-profits

Lost among the news that Amazon.com's third-quarter earnings trounced analysts’ estimates and sent the stock soaring, was this announcement that Amazon.com has expanded its Amazon Payments solution to nonprofits. A few months ago my colleague Becky blogged about the need for non-profits to offer alternate payment options for prospective donors. She noted the eBay Giving Works program administered by the licensed nonprofit organization, MissionFish. And suggested that more non-profits should offer PayPal or similar payment options. This move by Amazon.com is a step in that right direction, allowing their customers to donate to certain causes without leaving the security and familiarity of the Amazon umbrella.

Labels: amazon, donation, nonprofit

Thursday, October 22, 2009

CliffsNotes from DMA•09

For those of you who didn't attend DMA•09 this year, here are some noteworthy highlights, and pictures, from those at RMI who did:

• Convention Center: San Diego was the most convention-friendly city the DMA has ever been to. It was a pleasure. Everything was so convenient. The airport was close to the convention center and there were so many restaurants within walking distance. (And the weather and scenery didn't suck either!)

• Hotel: The Hilton Bayfront hotel was convenient and beautiful with terrific views of the bay and Coronado. And free wi-fi, which is always a plus.

• Attendance: Everyone seemed to have low expectations for the show. Pre-show, initial attendance was expected to be 6,000 or so. Word was that actual hit 7-7,500 (not great, but not terrible either.)

There was a good buzz early Monday at the Convention Center and the general mood was upbeat.

• Exhibitors: There were very few traditional DM exhibitors this year. Many envelope, printers and online companies, which was nice to see.

• Outlook: Most everyone felt that things are starting to turn around. Some believe they will see improvements in their Fall and Winter campaigns.

For 2010, some mailers have a good sized mail plan in place while others are remaining more conservative to be safe. Many are cautiously expecting to be flat in 2010 and plan to revisit their projections mid year.

Direct marketing companies who have expanded from traditional list and direct mail services to integrate more online offerings - (caution, harmless plug) like RMI does with our own Interactive Services division - continue to discuss the importance of multichannel offerings, their opportunities and the proper business models to adhere to.

• Hot Topics: Interactive. Web Reengagement. No planned 2010 postal increase. John Greco greeting the crowd to "Tick Tick Boom" by the Hives. Martha Stewart preaching omnipresence...

• Awards: Our friends at NextMark were honored with the DMA's Future Innovators Award. Congratulations to all!

All in all, it was a productive show. You can check out pictures of some of the happenings here.

So it's back to San Francisco next year! Apparently, the DMA left their heart there. "I left my heart in San Francisco..." (Get it? Alright, bad joke.)

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Labels: conference, DMA

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Yes, I'll have a glass of the 2009 Twitter Chardonnay

Twitter announced on Friday that it has teamed up with San Francisco based vineyard, Crushpad, in a fundraising initiative to benefit local nonprofit organization, Room to Read.

The project, called The Fledgling Initiative, is producing two wines - Fledgling Chardonnay and Fledgling Pinot Noir. The bottles sell for $20 each, with $5 of the proceeds going towards Room to Read.

What a great concept. Who better to promote the project than a social media giant like Twitter...

Source: Mashable!

Labels: social media, Twitter

Monday, October 19, 2009

Catholic Digest picks Catholic Charities USA for their 2009 Love Your Neighbor Award

This month Catholic Digest readers choose Catholic Charities USA as the 2009 recipient of the Catholic Digest Love Your Neighbor award.

Catholic Charities USA will use the $5,000 award money towards their mission to reduce poverty, support families, and empower communities. Representatives from the organization were presented with a check by Catholic Digest publisher Bret Thomas at the 2009 National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC) in Washington, DC.

Labels: client

Friday, October 16, 2009

Thank you PMG Potter!

It appears that the message has finally hit home and the postal service will not be increasing postage rates for calendar year 2010 for market dominant products (first class mail, standard mail, periodicals, and single piece Parcel Post). It has taken a while for the USPS to realized that "While increasing prices might have generated revenue for the Postal Service in the short term, the long term effect could drive additional mail out of the system." Thank you PMG Potter!

This is wonderful news for the mailers, and the rest of the industry, who have been negatively effected by the USPS. Lets hope this will be enough of a boost for everyone that in return the USPS will see a lift.

Labels: postage

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Did you know fewer magazines folded in 2009 compared to the past two years?

I was surprised to read this. Every day we come into work and read about more titles shutting down and you question what is happening to the magazine business. They are not going away that’s for sure, a matter of fact there are fewer titles in 2009 that shut down versus prior years.

According to an article Foliomag.com published Tuesday, 383 titles shuttered in 2009. This trend seems to be slowing down compared to prior years. We saw 613 titles shut down in the same period in ‘08 and 643 in ’07. Does this mean the bleeding is coming to an end? We can only hope.

We may have seen so many large and small titles go away but new magazines continue to launch. It is reported that 259 titles launched in 2009 so far and in 3rd quarter alone 72 titles launched.

Regional magazines topped the list with 15 launches, but also folded the most with 31 titles. Both business and lifestyle categories also declined, folding 14 and 13 titles each.

Popular launches fall in the following categories; food with 14 new titles; health & fitness 13 and home related 13.

Labels: publishing

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Pink On Purpose

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has started Pink on Purpose to draw attention to the fact that 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. With these alarming numbers they want everyone to know that early detection is the best way for prevention.

Participation is simple. Just pick a date, any date that works for you, and then sign up on their website. You will receive a package full of supplies including decorations and more information on how to donate if you want. Each person who wants to be involved donates $5.00 and on your designated date you wear pink, the symbol for breast cancer awareness. It's easy and it goes to a worthy cause.

Labels: client, fundraising, nonprofit

Friday, October 9, 2009

Modern Masters of Social Media

We attended an outstanding program presented by the HVDMA on Wednesday at the Fairview Country Club in Greenwich: Meet the Modern Masters of Social Media. (Kudos to our Hillary Taylor for helping orchestrate the event!)

We were treated to 3 very entertaining social media success stories from industry experts.

Ken from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters gave an overview of the various social media channels they are using as “listening” channels. His advice was to pay attention to what is being said about your company and be sure to react to both good and bad.

Valorie from a creative consulting company shared the success stories of Bigelow Tea across Facebook, Twitter, their own blogs, etc. She pointed out the importance of being “real” in your use of these social media channels.

Darryl, our advertising and social media genius, explained how they have learned to use social networking to stay ahead of the competition. They started blogging before it was even a word, and now their blog gets over 3,000 hits a day.

With the roadblocks the USPS keeps putting in front of mailers, there is no reason not to wholeheartedly embrace social networking. There is an investment in time and expertise, but the return can be impressive.

Labels: employees, HVDMA, social media

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Pegg Nadler named Direct Marketer of the Year by Target Marketing

Target Marketing’s October 2009 issue announces their Direct Marketer of the Year is Pegg Nadler, Vice President of Database Marketing at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.

I have known of Pegg Nadler for many years in the industry but I never had the privilege of working with her until January 2007. At the time, Pegg was undergoing a huge project building the HFM Marketing Database when RMI partnered with HFM in managing their list rental file. We spent a lot of time with Pegg and her team constructing the new list rental database. It was such a pleasure to work with her on this project and we continue to work with her as she is always finding new ways to improve the database. She is a wealth of knowledge, a visionary and extremely strategic. With all these ingredients she is truly a successful marketer.

I have also had the pleasure of serving on the Direct Marketing Club of NY’s board of directors with Pegg for the past two years. There she brings so much of her strategic methodologies and is a great asset to the club.

RMI congratulates Pegg and wish her many more years of success!

Labels: award, client

New CSPI study asks for additional FDA regulation

When I hear a client's name (CSPI) mentioned in the media I always tune in to see the latest announcements, but with a headline of the “10 Riskiest Healthy Foods” my interest was really peaked.

After watching the report and reading the article I hope I can keep my family and myself safe but I am a little concerned about eating these foods out:

• Leary Greens
• Eggs
• Tuna
• Oysters
• Potatoes
• Cheese
• Ice Cream
• Tomatoes
• Sprouts
• Berries

Thanks to CSPI for another informative study.

Labels: client

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Andy Rooney on the US Postal Service

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Sunday night Andy Rooney commented on the US Postal Service and its solutions to save money by closing 10% of post offices, changing mail delivery to 5 days and increasing postage.

Mr. Rooney brings forth the issue that the post office is a government agency that supposed to operate like a business (does not get tax money) and that there are fewer post offices today then in the 1900 and there are four times as many people in the US.

The comment that Mr. Rooney would rather have a mail man or women deliver junk mail than receive an e-mail is priceless.

Labels: andy rooney, USPS